Politics
New Condition Emerge As Obi, Atiku, others Battle For Presidential Ticket
ADC state chairmen urged the party leadership to abandon zoning of the 2027 presidential ticket. The chairmen warned that zoning would weaken the party’s electoral chances and its role as an opposition coalition platform. Party leaders insisted that competence, credibility and electability guided the choice of a presidential candidate.
State chairmen of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have urged the party’s National Working Committee to abandon zoning of the 2027 presidential ticket. The party’s bigwigs however advised that for an open, transparent and credible primary election.
The chairmen warned that zoning would weaken the party’s chances in the 2027 general election and undermine its growing role as a coalition platform for opposition forces seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu. They insisted that competence, credibility and electability, rather than geopolitical considerations, should determine who emerges as the party’s flagbearer, Punch reported.
Speaking on behalf of the state chairmen, the Chairman of the ADC Chairmen Forum and Kogi State Chairman, Kingsley Ogga, said zoning would amount to self-sabotage for a party positioning itself as a national alternative.
“As a stakeholder, my opinion is simple: the process should be open to everyone. There should be no zoning. Whoever emerges through a free and fair contest should take the ticket,” Ogga said.
He added:
“Zoning is a way of defeating yourself because it narrows your ambition to one section of the country and excludes other capable Nigerians. Our goal is to field the best candidate who can defeat President Tinubu and rescue Nigeria.”
He added that a transparent process would help preserve unity within the party.
“Elections will always produce winners and losers, but the process must be credible so that the outcome is accepted by all. Whoever wins should enjoy the full support of party members,” he said.
The Secretary of the ADC Chairmen Forum and Edo state Chairman, Kennedy Odion, also argued that zoning restricts the pool of qualified candidates and risks sacrificing national interest for sectional considerations.
“Zoning does not represent competence. If a party restricts its presidential ticket to a particular zone, it limits the range of capable candidates and could compromise development and progress.
“The ADC is being looked upon as a rescue platform for Nigeria. If we get it wrong, it may take a long time before such an opportunity comes again,” Odion said.
He stressed the need for primaries that Nigerians can trust.
“We need a candidate with the confidence of the people. Zoning prioritises sectional interest over national interest. The contest should be open so that the most competent candidate can emerge,” Odion added.
Zoning could weaken party’s chances, Adamawa chairman warn
The Adamawa state Chairman of the ADC, Arabi Mustapha, also warned that zoning could weaken the party’s electoral prospects.
“The contest should be open to all qualified Nigerians, regardless of geopolitical zone. Whoever wins through a free, fair and credible process should be supported by everyone,” Mustapha said.
Mustapha added:
“Zoning sends the wrong signal that we have already limited our options. It will do more harm than good and undermine national unity.”
The call by the state chairmen comes amid rising internal debate within the ADC following the influx of high-profile politicians with presidential ambitions, Vanguard reported.
In July 2025, the ADC emerged as the coalition platform adopted by opposition leaders seeking to unseat President Tinubu in 2027. Since then, the party, under the leadership of former Senate President David Mark as National Chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, has intensified efforts to strengthen its national structures.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked Abubakar Babazango as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the Yola North, Yola South and Girei Federal Constituency of Adamawa State.
Daily Voice reports that the court also recognized Abubakar Bashir as the winner of the ADC primary election conducted for the constituency on May 21, 2026.
Justice Chigozie S. Onah delivered the judgment on September 17, 2026, in a suit filed by Bashir against the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Babazango.
The case followed a dispute over the outcome of the party’s primary after Bashir emerged as the winner, but Babazango was later submitted as the ADC candidate for the 2027 election.
Bashir won the primary with 33,931 votes, defeating six other aspirants. Zayyad Tumba came second with 16,266 votes, while Yusuf Garba polled 14,611 votes.
Abubakar Mohammed received 10,035 votes, Abubakar Gabdo scored 8,022, and Abdulaziz Abubakar got 4,501 votes. Babazango finished last with 4,359 votes.
Babazango had defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the ADC and was seeking to retain his seat in the House of Representatives.
After the primary, Bashir challenged the decision to submit Babazango’s name, alleging that his victory had been overturned despite him securing the highest number of votes.
The ADC denied any wrongdoing and maintained that there was no attempt to manipulate the primary result.
Bashir later took the matter to court, asking the judge to determine whether the nomination process complied with the Electoral Act, the ADC Constitution and the party’s guidelines.
He also argued that the party had no legal basis to replace him with an aspirant who did not win the primary.
In the judgment, Justice Onah ruled that the process through which Babazango was accepted and presented as the winner did not comply with the ADC Constitution and its guidelines.
The judge relied on Section 12 of the ADC Guidelines for the Conduct of Primary Elections, which provides for the circumstances under which a declared winner may be replaced.
The court found that a winner could only be replaced if the person died or withdrew from the contest. It further found that neither condition applied to Bashir.
The court consequently nullified Babazango’s nomination and ordered INEC not to recognise him as the ADC candidate for the constituency in the 2027 election.
The court also barred Babazango from presenting himself as the ADC candidate for the seat.
INEC was directed to recognize Bashir as the winner of the May 21 primary and as the ADC candidate for the House of Representatives constituency.
The ADC was similarly ordered to recognize Bashir as its duly elected candidate.
Justice Onah further ruled that the party must follow the Electoral Act 2026 and its own guidelines when conducting its nomination process.
Bashir had requested ₦25 million in litigation costs, but the court declined the request.
The judge instead awarded ₦1 million in costs against the ADC and another ₦1 million against Babazango.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said opposition to his proposed Rainbow Coalition by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, and the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is not primarily about concerns that the group could weaken the All Progressives Congress (APC).Nigeria Market Research
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the statement on Monday while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects in the Federal Capital Territory.
The minister said he would provide further details about the disagreements during a television appearance later in the day.
Responding to suggestions that the coalition was being used to position him for the 2031 presidential election, Wike said it was too early to speculate about future political contests.
He also suggested that the question of who would succeed President Bola Tinubu could be contributing to the current political tension.
Wike said, “People take the position of God. First of all, you have to pray that you are alive. You must ask God, ‘Keep me alive till tomorrow. God, keep me alive till the next day.’ When God keeps you alive, then you now know what to do. How can you sit now and start planning for 2030, 31?.
“So, God is the one who says what will be. If one is alive, then you begin to see what we will do. In any case, what is wrong with assuming that I am positioning myself? But that is not correct. But you will hear the full details today about all these cries about the Rainbow Coalition.”
He said Tinubu, as a sitting President who would not be eligible to seek another term in 2031, would naturally have an interest in succession.
“I have always said, mind you, too, that by 2031, as a sitting president, he will not be running. So, the president must also have interest on who will succeed him. And will I be at loggerheads with what the president is talking about? But people don’t understand. They are just afraid of their shadows, not me,” Wike said.
Wike also referred to his participation in the 2022 PDP presidential primary, where he finished second behind former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Former National Treasurer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Hon. Ahmed Yayari, has formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), alongside his supporters.
Hon. Yayari, who was a gubernatorial candidate under Kabiru Tanimu Turaki faction of the PDP, picked up his APC membership card at his Kalshingi Ward in Akko Local Government Area.
Speaking after receiving his membership card, Yayari, who served as Chief of Staff to former Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, pledged to deploy his years of political experience, extensive networks and support base towards securing victory for the APC in the 2027 elections.
He specifically expressed his commitment to supporting the APC governorship candidate in Gombe State, Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna, as well as other APC candidates at both state and national levels.
The former PDP National Treasurer said his decision to join the APC was accompanied by a commitment to work with party leaders, stakeholders and supporters towards strengthening the party and delivering electoral success in 2027.
Our correspondent reports that Hon.Yayari’s defection comes amid a series of high-profile political realignments in the State, with prominent politicians and thousands of their supporters moving into the APC.
Political pundits said the move is significant given his previous roles at the national level of the PDP and his experience within Gombe State’s political establishment.
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